foodie mermaid

7.3 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  7     

Me and a friend with Greek descent spontaneously rocked up on a Saturday night without reservation. The place was packed but the waitress managed to quickly find us a table outside. We advised the waitress that we had BYO and she asked us whether it's white or red so she could get the appropriate glass which was nice cause mid-price-ranged restaurants in Sydney no longer look into details of glassware often enough these days.

For mezze we just had octopus. It was very tender yet maintained a subtle chewy texture. Lightly seasoned with sea salt and olive oil, plated on a bed of mixed leaves. Nothing fancy but simplicity was all it needed. For those who loves olive oil like me, you can ask for more which would come in a cute cruet and is rather strong (grassy). The only trivial downside was that the octopus wasn't served with lemon until we asked for it, which my Greek friend find it unauthentic.

For main we both had chicken. Mine was Athenian chicken that came in generous portion(2 pieces of chicken breasts) yet it was so easy to go down that even a non-meat fan like me nearly finished it all. It surprised me with two unusual characteristics of a chicken breast- tenderness and flavoursome. Topped with slices of grilled eggplant, yellow capsicum and halumi. The rich tomato-based sauce poured all over it. The rice in the bottom that soaked up the juice from the veges and chicken had really gave my appetite a kick. I was very impressed by the rice.

Being Asian I know my rice well, let it be basmanti, brown rice, spanish calasparra or abrorio, also as a girl i'm quite selective of my carbs. But this Greek rice was just about as tempting as the Catalan paella I had in a upmarket deli/bistro in Barcelona, especially when it had all the flavours of mouth-watering grilled veges and chicken. Yum!! The dish my friend ordered was served on a bed of pilaf which was seasoned with lemon and parsley, giving the rice a beautiful fragrant flavour which tasted a bit like the g'd old fried rice.

Without over-describing it, you should definitely give this place ago. I wouldn't know how the seafood mains are like but the Athenian chicken is definitely recommended. Bon appetit!

Nov 15, 2011

7.5 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  7     

Heard about this place from an Italian friend a couple of years ago as "Even Italians rated as one of the best pizzas". Finally went there tonight. Walking into a contemporary setting greeted by pizza chefs rolling dough on a long marble benchtop.

Service was very professional. Waiter was patient yet efficient. I was very impressed because these two qualities hardly balance so well. Food was served rather quickly despite how busy the restaurant was on a Thursday. Waiter suggested 8 pizza shared among 10 of us, which would've been sufficient but it was so good we ordered 2 more. The 'margherita con bresaola' and 'capricciosa' were my favourites.

The former was covered with a generous amount of bresaola on a bed of rockets, where the second was a balanced flavour of artichoke, mushrooms, olives and ham, nothing was overpowering another. Crust was slightly too doughy for me. It's not the super thin and crispy which I like.

Overall experience was excellent. Modern, simple and sleek layout although for me personally I'd favour a pizza restaurant that has checked tablecloths and chefs singing in the kitchen.

Sep 15, 2011

7.3 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  7     

Me and a friend with Greek descent spontaneously rocked up on a Saturday night without reservation. The place was packed but the waitress managed to quickly find us a table outside. We advised the waitress that we had BYO and she asked us whether it's white or red so she could get the appropriate glass which was nice cause mid-price-ranged restaurants in Sydney no longer look into details of glassware often enough these days.

For mezze we just had octopus. It was very tender yet maintained a subtle chewy texture. Lightly seasoned with sea salt and olive oil, plated on a bed of mixed leaves. Nothing fancy but simplicity was all it needed. For those who loves olive oil like me, you can ask for more which would come in a cute cruet and is rather strong (grassy). The only trivial downside was that the octopus wasn't served with lemon until we asked for it, which my Greek friend find it unauthentic.

For main we both had chicken. Mine was Athenian chicken that came in generous portion(2 pieces of chicken breasts) yet it was so easy to go down that even a non-meat fan like me nearly finished it all. It surprised me with two unusual characteristics of a chicken breast- tenderness and flavoursome. Topped with slices of grilled eggplant, yellow capsicum and halumi. The rich tomato-based sauce poured all over it. The rice in the bottom that soaked up the juice from the veges and chicken had really gave my appetite a kick. I was very impressed by the rice.

Being Asian I know my rice well, let it be basmanti, brown rice, spanish calasparra or abrorio, also as a girl i'm quite selective of my carbs. But this Greek rice was just about as tempting as the Catalan paella I had in a upmarket deli/bistro in Barcelona, especially when it had all the flavours of mouth-watering grilled veges and chicken. Yum!! The dish my friend ordered was served on a bed of pilaf which was seasoned with lemon and parsley, giving the rice a beautiful fragrant flavour which tasted a bit like the g'd old fried rice.

Without over-describing it, you should definitely give this place ago. I wouldn't know how the seafood mains are like but the Athenian chicken is definitely recommended. Bon appetit!

Nov 15, 2011

7.5 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  7     

Heard about this place from an Italian friend a couple of years ago as "Even Italians rated as one of the best pizzas". Finally went there tonight. Walking into a contemporary setting greeted by pizza chefs rolling dough on a long marble benchtop.

Service was very professional. Waiter was patient yet efficient. I was very impressed because these two qualities hardly balance so well. Food was served rather quickly despite how busy the restaurant was on a Thursday. Waiter suggested 8 pizza shared among 10 of us, which would've been sufficient but it was so good we ordered 2 more. The 'margherita con bresaola' and 'capricciosa' were my favourites.

The former was covered with a generous amount of bresaola on a bed of rockets, where the second was a balanced flavour of artichoke, mushrooms, olives and ham, nothing was overpowering another. Crust was slightly too doughy for me. It's not the super thin and crispy which I like.

Overall experience was excellent. Modern, simple and sleek layout although for me personally I'd favour a pizza restaurant that has checked tablecloths and chefs singing in the kitchen.

Sep 15, 2011